A second address does not have to be a second city. For a family or a business owner in Istanbul it can be an island with a direct flight home, an apartment you own outright and a price quoted in dollars. This article goes through the questions we hear from Türkiye, in the order people ask them.
The flight
Turkish Airlines has flown Istanbul to Phuket non-stop since July 2017. On the winter 2026/27 schedule, which starts on 25 October, the outbound flight takes about 9 h 20 min and the return about 11 h. Sources disagree on how many times a week it runs, so think of it as direct and about nine and a half to ten hours, and check the airline's timetable before you book.
That is the practical point. A viewing trip does not need a week of leave and a connection: it needs a weekend and one night in the air. We call it a viewing day, and many buyers fly in exactly once before they decide.
Why people look beyond the lira
None of what follows is a judgement on a country. It is arithmetic that anyone who saves in lira has done. Annual consumer inflation was 29.73% in September 2026, the lowest since November 2021 but still high, with housing and utilities up 39.99% (reported figure, verify at TÜİK). The central bank's data put the average rent of a 100 m² home in Istanbul at TRY 44,332 in the second quarter of 2026, against TRY 30,519 a year earlier. Nationally, house prices rose in nominal terms but fell 5.1% in real terms in July, the eighth month of real decline in a row.
So the wish is understandable: a hard-currency asset next to lira savings, in a place that is calm and predictable. Turkish residents bought a record US$2.675 billion of property abroad in 2025. The UAE and Greece come first, then the United States, Britain, Spain and the Balkans, and buyers favour apartments in new projects with instalments.
Where Phuket fits
Phuket is still a new idea for buyers from Türkiye. Banyan Group said in July 2026 that it has only 25 to 50 Turkish owners and called the market small but promising. The same developer said foreign buyers are over 60% of sales on the island. We would add a caution: Krungsri Research warns of oversupply in some Phuket locations, so the building and the developer matter more than the island.
Buyers from abroad generally pay from their own funds, because Thai banks do not usually lend to foreigners. That fits a second home bought with savings and in stages.
The visa
Türkiye is on the list of 60 countries that Thailand gave 30 days of visa-free entry from 15 September 2026, according to reports of the Royal Gazette announcement. A single 30-day extension can be requested at immigration. A winter of three or four months needs a longer route: the Long-Term Resident visa (for the "wealthy global citizen" track, US$1 million in assets including US$500,000 in Thai assets, ten years, a THB 50,000 fee) or Thailand Privilege membership, which starts at about THB 900,000 for five years (sources differ). Buying an apartment does not by itself give a visa.
What you own
A condominium unit can be owned freehold, in your own name, within the 49% foreign quota that applies to each building. Ask for written confirmation of the quota before you reserve. A villa or land is held on a registered 30-year lease, renewable by contract, or through a Thai company. The condominium is the simplest route to a home you own outright.
Sending the money
Residents of Türkiye can generally transfer foreign currency abroad through their bank to buy property, but the bank's own procedure governs, so ask it first. On the Thai side, you pay in foreign currency, and the Thai bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form, which the Land Department wants at registration. The reservation, the contract payment and the instalments are staged through construction.
Taxes at home and in Thailand
A Turkish tax resident is taxed on worldwide income. Foreign rental income is declared in Türkiye, and foreign tax paid can be credited, although how foreign expenses are treated is unclear. In Thailand, someone who spends more than 180 days a year there is a Thai tax resident, and foreign income brought into the country is taxed from 2024. This is a conversation for your mali müşavir and for a Thai adviser, ideally the same week. We do not give tax advice, and we will not guess.
Schools
International schooling is available on the island. British International School Phuket lists 2026–27 tuition from THB 489,000 for Nursery and Reception to about THB 982,700, plus a THB 200,000 placement fee. Treat it as a budget line before you treat it as an argument.
Who you will speak to
Vika Thai Company Limited is an agency in Phuket, working since 2013. The developer pays our fee. Our managers speak Turkish, English and Russian, so the first call, 20 minutes by video, can be in Turkish. Prices on our Istanbul page start from $99,000, shown with a lira equivalent beside each, and the lineup mixes affordable projects with two hotel-brand ones.
If a Dubai apartment is also on your list, read Dubai and Phuket: a second base six hours away. For the costs that sit around any purchase, see what a Phuket condo really costs to buy, hold and sell.
Read more
https://istanbul.vikathai.com/ — a direct flight from Istanbul, freehold condominiums from $99,000 with a lira equivalent, a video call in Turkish and a viewing day.